Chauvet DMX 40B control problems

[jtkirb]

I'm using a cheap, but capable Chauvet 40B DMX controller for some home lighting effects (RGB LED strips and fiber optic lighting). I have a chase that I run in auto to fade between colors over time.

 

This is the problem... The hold time fader (which controls how long the controller stays on any one color) can be set from 0.1 seconds to 10 minutes. The control will 'reset' the internal counter when you set the fader at times greater than a few seconds. The resolution of the fader is so wide that the slider pot causes 'jitter' and resets the counter. This locks the control up in an endless loop of one color.

 

The fade time slider has a similar problem, but not as bad because the range is only .1 to 30 seconds. You can usually find a sweet spot where the time isn't reset.

 

You can slide the pot to a very low number and the jitter doesn't cause the counter to reset, but this is not how the control should work.

 

Does anyone have a suggestion or solution to this problem? The controller is brand new and works flawless otherwise. It is a cheap controller, but I don't need anything more for this application.

[KevinE]

It's either faulty unit or the firmware is a bit ropey. Controllers at this end of the market rarely have flawless firmware...for example the similar Botex units can crash (and need a power cycle) if you press the tap-sync too fast, and the joystick versions sometimes only control at 16 bits on 3 of the 4 corners of the joystick travel. Pressing the fixture buttons too quickly can sometimes cause the LCD display to start displaying chinese characters (it doesnt have a chinese option!).

 

If it's easy to take it back and get a replacement, I'd try that. If it doesn't fix it and the new one's the same, I'd get a refund citing goods not of sufficient merchantable quality. You might have had an early firmware edition or something.